<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Criminal Extraordinaire by nightlight9</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195454">Criminal Extraordinaire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlight9/pseuds/nightlight9'>nightlight9</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sterek Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Criminal Derek Hale, Detective Allison Argent, Detective Scott McCall, Detective Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Pre-Slash, Scene Stealer Sterek Week Theme, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Sterek Week 2020, sterekscene6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:47:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlight9/pseuds/nightlight9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles would be hard pressed to claim that Beacon Hills is a hot spot for crime. Hell, somedays the most exciting thing that happens is Mr. Holstein’s tabby getting stuck in a tree yet again. That’s why he’s so surprised when Allison comes into the precinct dragging none other than Derek Hale behind her in handcuffs; Derek Hale, one of the FBI's most wanted criminals. </p><p>He's even more surprised when it turns out that helping Derek may be more important than turning him in. Hell, it might just be the most important thing he's ever done, for the town and for himself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sterek Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>163</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Criminal Extraordinaire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This started as a stolen scene from an episode of NCIS: New Orleans titled 'Empathy.' It kind of spiraled out of control, but that was how it started. </p><p>Note: Listen, I am well aware that this is not how proper law enforcement departments are ran. I know nothing about proper procedures and I have no real interest in learning much about them to be honest (also it is very hard to find information about how small town departments interact with the FBI). Anyhoo, I tried to explain some of the possible discrepancies and other such things, but ultimately I am aware that it’s not up to the standards of our law. Beacon Hills is a fictional town and I ran my department in a fictional way. So. Be warned I guess if that’s something that is going to bother you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stiles would be hard pressed to claim that Beacon Hills is a hot spot for crime. Hell, somedays the most exciting thing that happens is Mr. Holstein’s tabby getting stuck in a tree yet again. Sure they have an abundance of speeding tickets and an occasional fight to break up, but all in all it’s a very calm town. That’s why he’s so surprised when Allison comes into the precinct dragging none other than Derek Hale behind her in handcuffs. </p><p>Stiles’ jaw drops when he sees them. He can’t help it. </p><p>To the majority of people in Beacon Hills, Derek is a figment of their past. Everyone knows the Hale’s. They remember Talia Hale and her husband who would organize so many of the city events and community parties. They remember Laura Hale who, at 19, was well on her way to following in her mother’s footsteps in law school. They knew Cora, the youngest Hale sibling, and Peter and his family who lived at the Hale house in the preserve. And they remember Derek, who was a shy but brass kid, who loved his family above everything else. To them, Derek Hale is the only surviving member of a family ruined by tragedy. </p><p>But that isn’t how Stiles knows Derek, at least, not since he became a cop. No, he knows him from FBI files and unsolved murder cases. He knows him from police scanners and blurred images of him running shirtless through the woods escaping arrest. Because while Derek may have been kindhearted and loyal before the fire that killed his family, now he is one of the most well-known mercenaries on the FBI radar. And, no matter what, Derek has never once been arrested. </p><p>Until right now apparently, by a small town cop in the place he used to call home. </p><p>“What?” Stiles says, standing up in surprise.</p><p>Allison grins over at him. Her dark hair is piled high on her head in a tight bun but a tendril has escaped and is curled across her forehead, Superman-esque as she leads Derek passed Stiles’ desk. She doesn’t stop on her way to the holding cells, even as more jaws drop around her.</p><p>Beside Stiles, Scott makes a noise of surprise. They turn to stare at each other with wide eyes. “What?”</p><p>At once, they both burst into motion, scurrying around their desks and heading toward the cells. They catch up with Allison as she’s locking Derek into one of them. When she turns to look at them, there is a quiet pride in her eyes that seems to swell at their disbelief. </p><p>“That’s Derek Hale,” Stiles says dumbly, moving around her so that he can see into the room through the small bulletproof window. Derek sits calmly on the bed inside, head bowed down as though in prayer. His hands remain cuffed, and they hang limply across his lap. Stiles turns his stare to Allison. “How did you catch Derek Hale?”</p><p>Before she can answer any questions, John Stilinski comes stumbling around the hallway corner. His hair is disheveled and his eyes are wide. It’s the most frazzled that Stiles has seen his dad in years. “Allison, Clark just told me that you brought in Derek Hale?” Allison nods, blushing under his stare. “I-. How did you-? Where did you even-?” He exhales, gathering his thoughts before asking, “What?”</p><p>A disbelieving laugh escapes Allison. “I don’t really know either. I was doing my patrol on the edge of town when he burst through the tress right in front of my car.” She bites at her lip. “I may have accidentally hit him a little bit? And um, when I went to go check on him and saw who it was, I grabbed my handcuffs and brought him in.”</p><p>All three men are staring at her in surprise. </p><p>“You hit him with your car?” Scott repeats, voice pitching high with concern. </p><p>“You didn’t call for backup?” John says at the same time, frowning at her.</p><p>“It was that easy?” Stiles asks simultaneously, eyes wide.</p><p>She shrugs, which is actually an appropriate response to all three questions. “He might be tied to the body found downtown three days ago,” she says after a moment where they all stare at each other in disbelief. “The MO matches what the FBI files have on Hale. Maybe we can question him about it?”</p><p>John rubs at his forehead. When he got up that morning, he was not anticipating having to deal with Derek Hale of all people. “We should probably just turn him over to the FBI,” he says slowly, considering it.</p><p>Stiles purses his lips. “We can’t do that! We’ll never solve our case if they come and take him away!”</p><p>“Stiles-.”</p><p>“No, hear me out. What if we question him first, get any information that we can to help our case, and <i>then</i> call them? What’s the harm in waiting a few hours?”</p><p>“We’ve already combed through the victim’s apartment and we didn’t find anything useful there,” Scott adds helpfully, eyes in full puppy-dog pout mode. “Derek might be our only chance of figuring out what happened to her.”</p><p>Allison drives the point home. “Doesn’t her family deserve to know the truth?”</p><p>John sighs. Why he thought hiring Stiles and his friends was a good idea, even after they went through all the necessary training, he’ll never know. But, when they graduated college and decided that they wanted to join the department to help with supernatural cases, who was John to turn them down. Beacon Hills is their home, and he doesn’t blame them for wanting to stay there. Plus, it was kind of nice knowing that they looked up to him and wanted to make change the way he did. </p><p>Besides, as much as he hates to admit it, they have a point. Plus he really hates having the FBI snooping into his town. If they can solve their case before the feds get here… “Fine,” he agrees finally, glancing toward the holding cell doors. “But Hale is dangerous. I want Lydia to sit in and watch the interview. Scott, you’ll stay with her. Keep close tabs on his heartbeat. If there’s so much as a stutter, take note. Allison, you and Stiles can do the questioning. Just-.” He looks at Stiles. “Don’t antagonize him. He’s dangerous. If I suspect, even for a moment, that you’re going to do something reckless, I’ll replace you. You understand?” He waits until Stiles nods to continue. “I know that you were assigned to the case downtown. And seeing as Allison brought him, it’s only fair that I trust your team with this. But Hale isn’t just another criminal. He isn’t someone to trifle with. Understand?”</p><p>Nodding, they all break off to get ready for the interrogation. Stiles’ blood thrums through his veins. This is a big case, the biggest case he’ll probably ever get to work. And, as crazy as it is and as dangerous as it can turn out to be, it’s also exciting. Derek is-. Well, Stiles has spent countless hours pouring over the cases given to them by the FBI in hopes that Derek would show back up in his home town. </p><p>And now he has and they actually caught him. It’s completely insane to think about. </p><p>It doesn’t take long for them to prepare for the interrogation and then it’s time to get started. Scott and Lydia settle themselves on one side of the two-way mirror. John joins them at the last minute, wanting to see for himself how this turns out . And then it's time. Allison and Stiles step up to the door to go question Derek. Before they go inside though, Allison reaches out and squeezes Stiles’ hand. </p><p>“Here we go,” she says, suddenly seeming nervous about what they’re about to do.</p><p>Stiles squeezes her hand back. Allison has always been one of the strongest people in their group. Sometimes she just needs to be reminded of that, which Stiles is happy to do. “Hey, we got this. You caught a well-known criminal, Allison. You’re a badass. Questioning him will be a piece of cake compared to that.”</p><p>As he talks her shoulders relax and she smiles at him gratefully when he’s finished. With a quick nod, she pushes open the door and steps inside. Stiles follows closely after her, trying to keep his composure.</p><p>There isn’t much in the interrogation room, just a large metal table, the chair that Derek is sitting in, and two others on the opposite side of the table. Derek doesn’t look up at them when they settle down in their chairs. He keeps his eyes trained on where his hands are resting, still cuffed, on the table. It gives Stiles a few moments to examine him up close. </p><p>Admittedly, he’s actually very handsome. With thick dark hair and a well-maintained beard, he’s exactly Stiles’ type. Hell, Stiles guesses that he’s probably everyone’s type, aside from the whole murder thing. The shirt that he’s wearing under his leather jacket is tore in three places, and there looks to be blood on it, which is a little concerning. But Derek is a werewolf, so whatever injuries he sustained have long been healed.</p><p>Allison tosses the case file that they’ve been working on the table between them. Derek doesn’t even jump. </p><p>“Mr. Hale,” she says, voice hard. All signs of her earlier nerves are gone. “This is a case we’ve been working on.” She opens the file and starts rearranging the photos inside. “Meet Jane Close. Does she look familiar to you?”</p><p>Derek barely looks at the pictures. “I don’t know her.”</p><p>Stiles scoffs. “Are you sure about that? Take another look. Her body was found in an ally downtown three days ago. Her throat was slashed in the same way that Mack Tracy’s was, a crime that the FBI tied to you.”</p><p>“So, Mr. Hale. Where were you three days ago?”</p><p>A muscle in Derek’s jaw twitches. “I didn’t kill her.”</p><p>“Of course you didn’t,” Allison says, straightening out the pictures. When she’s finished, she folds her hands together. “Where were you three days ago, Mr. Hale?”</p><p>He doesn’t respond and Stiles sighs. “Listen. We’re just trying to figure out what happened to her, that’s all. If you didn’t do it, you need to help us out. Because right now, all the signs point to you.”</p><p>Finally, Derek looks up at them. His eyes are hard and cold but startlingly bright in color. “I didn’t kill her,” he snarls. “I wasn’t even in Beacon Hills three days ago.”</p><p>“Is there anyone who can confirm that?” Derek looks at him like he’s an idiot, but Stiles shrugs. “What? You expect us to just believe you without any followup? You’re a known mercenary. Forgive us for not taking your word for it.”</p><p>“I’m not a hitman,” Derek scowls, looking back at his hands. </p><p>“So you just kill people for fun?” Both Derek and Allison look at Stiles like he’s lost his mind. “What? If he’s not getting paid for it, then what else could it be?”</p><p>Allison sighs in a way that Stiles is all too familiar with. Derek just keeps staring at him.</p><p>“Listen, Mr. Hale. All my partner and I want is to understand what happened to Jane.”</p><p>Derek’s eyebrows perform a complicated dance on his forehead. “You hit me with your car.”</p><p>That makes Allison cough. “I um-. I am sorry about that. You took me by surprise and I couldn’t stop in time to avoid you.” She clears his throat. “But back to the matter at hand-.”</p><p>In a burst of movement, Derek smacks his hands down beside the pictures while he glares at them. “I didn’t kill this woman. I don’t-. I don’t go around just killing people, no matter what you think of me.”</p><p>“Why did you come back to Beacon Hills?” Stiles asks, more curious than anything else. He doesn’t know what Derek’s deal is, but he wants to figure him out. “I mean, people know that this is where you’re from, and the FBI has been waiting for you to show up again. Why come back?”</p><p>Derek sits back in his chair, watching Stiles like he’s trying to figure him out too. Stiles crosses his arms and mimics his stance. “You’re a known criminal who the FBI have been searching for for years, and now that we’ve caught you there isn’t going to be any way out for you. So what do you have to lose by telling me? You say that you didn’t kill Jane, but there must have been some reason why you came back? So, I’ll ask again. Why are you back in Beacon Hills?”</p><p>“What does it matter? You don’t have any real interest in helping me. You’re just as bad as they are.”</p><p>Allison blinks at the sudden change in Derek’s tone. “Who-? Derek, what?”</p><p>“No, I’m done answering questions.” As if to puncture that statement, Derek closes his eyes and tips head head up towards the ceiling. </p><p>Allison starts picking up her file. Stiles watches Derek for a long moment, but he doesn’t move at all. </p><p>On their way out the door, Stiles glances back at him one more time. Derek hasn’t moved.</p><p>Allison leads them into the room next door. Lydia and Scott are both frowning, but John has a thoughtful look on his face. </p><p>“Well,” Allison says, leaning against the wall beside Scott. “Did you guys get anything useful?”</p><p>Lydia shrugs. “His body language doesn’t give much away. He appears calm, but if you look at his shoulders right now you can see the tension there. If I had to guess, it has more to do with having his senses robbed of him than actually being arrested. See how he tilts his head slightly to the side? He’s trying to hear through the wards in place around the room, and the fact that he can’t bothers him.”</p><p>Stiles nods. He can see why she came to that conclusion. She’s the best behavioral analysts that they have, who could have easily went to join a bigger department if she wanted. But even with all her talent, her heart belongs in Beacon Hills, just like the rest of them. </p><p>“What about his heartbeat?” Allison asks finally. There’s something in her voice that suggests she already suspects the answer and doesn’t know what to do about it.</p><p>“He wasn’t lying,” Scott says slowly. “About any of it. Unless he’s figured out a way to control his heartbeat, he was telling the truth about not killing Jane.”</p><p>Stiles sighs. “I’ll go contact the FBI and let them know that he’s here.”</p><p>“Hold off on that, son,” John says slowly, turning to look at all of them. “Even if he didn’t kill Jane, there’s a reason why came back here and I feel that might be important for us to know. Let him stay here for now. I’ll deal with any fallout later, just-. Scott, I want you to head back to where Allison found him. Try and retrace his steps if you can. Stiles, you and Lydia should head back to Jane’s apartment, see if you can find anything else that could be useful to our case.”</p><p>“What about Derek?”</p><p>Shrugging, John looks back through the window. “It’s like I said, let him stay there for now. After a while I might go in and talk to him. For now, he’s not our biggest concern.”</p><p>What a weird statement that is. The high profile killer in the adjacent room isn’t their biggest concern?</p><p>Stiles isn’t going to argue, but it does seem wrong to think like that. </p><p>“Come on,” Lydia commands, stepping around him. “We have work to do, Stiles.”</p><p>They all file out of the room, except John, who is content to stay behind. He’s planning something, something that Stiles can’t figure out, but he leaves it alone. Lydia is right, they have work to do.</p><p>—————</p><p>By the time Stiles and Lydia make it back to the office, Stiles is frustrated with how little they turned up. He’s not surprised, seeing as this isn’t the first time that they’ve combed through it, but it’s still frustrating. </p><p>There’s something about this case that just isn’t coming together, and Stiles has a feeling that Derek Hale might be a key to unlock what that something is.</p><p>“We should go talk to Derek again,” Lydia says, as though she read the thought from his mind. “I think that he knows more than he’s letting on, even if he wasn’t actually the one to kill Jane.”</p><p>Stiles nods, following her as she makes her way toward the interrogation rooms. They make it there in time to see John step out from Derek’s.</p><p>“Sheriff,” Lydia asks, stopping a few feet away from him to cross her arms. Even standing up against her boss, she’s an intimidating figure. “Were you just in there with Derek? Did he talk to you?”</p><p>John gives a half shrug. “Not about the case, or what he’s doing back in town. Did you guys want to talk to him again?”</p><p>Stiles narrows his eyes at the deliberate change of subject, but lets it go when Lydia nods. “We couldn’t find anything at Jane’s apartment, so Derek is still the best resource we have right now.”</p><p>John waves a hand back toward the door he just exited. “Then he’s all yours. Good luck.”</p><p>Without saying anything else, John wanders off down the hallway on his way back to his office. Lydia and Stiles stare at him while he goes, and then look at each other.</p><p>“That was weird, right?” She demands, her stare hard. </p><p>Stiles shrugs. It was, but he doesn’t know why yet, so talking about it won’t get them anywhere. “Come on, let’s just go in.”</p><p>Derek is sitting in the same place he was the last time, though his posture is more relaxed. Stiles holds out one of the chairs for Lydia before taking his place beside her. They spend a few minutes looking at each other without saying anything. Finally, Derek sighs. </p><p>“Are you just here to look at me or did you need something?” He asks, raising his eyebrows. Stiles can feel his lip twitch at the amount of sass in Derek’s voice.</p><p>Lydia is decidedly less amused, but she puts up with Stiles on a daily basis so he isn’t really surprised. “We went back out to Jane’s apartment,” she explains slowly, as though he doesn’t understand. The treatment makes Derek scowl. “And we couldn’t find anything helpful there.”</p><p>“And what do you want me to do about that? Sounds like your detective skills need work.”</p><p>This time, Stiles snorts. He can’t help it. Lydia glares at him. Derek just looks at him curiously. “You got sassier,” he says through his chuckles. </p><p>“We think that you know something you’re not telling us,” Lydia says, deciding to ignore both of them to continue doing her job. “And we think it can help with our case.”</p><p>In a burst of movement, Derek leans over the table towards them. Lydia flinches back, and then flushes, embarrassed that she let Derek intimidate her. “Why should I help you? Hm? Helping solve your murder won’t get me out of here any faster. It won’t help me out at all actually. So I think I’ll pass.”</p><p>“A woman is dead. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”</p><p>Derek shrugs and finally leans back again. “People die. You should know that better than most, banshee. Yet you still sound surprised by it.”</p><p>Pushing away from the table, Lydia stands up and disappears out the door, slamming it behind her. Stiles watches her go, too stunned to do anything more than gap. If Derek is surprised, it’s impossible to tell.</p><p>“What about you?” Derek says finally. “What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?”</p><p>Stiles snorts. “I have better control over my anger, so you’re definitely not going to get rid of me the way you just did Lydia. And I’m way more irritating than you, so you can’t annoy me enough to get me to leave.” He shrugs. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”</p><p>Surprisingly, Derek doesn’t look that upset. Instead, he narrows his eyes like Stiles is a particularly interesting puzzle that he wants to solve. Folding his hands over the top of the table in front of him, Stiles lets him look his fill. Then he leans over the table a little more, pressing closer to Derek’s space. In a quiet voice, he says, “Derek, it’s okay that I call you Derek, right? All I want to do is my job. And I’m not talking about Jane. I’m talking about you. You mentioned something when I was in here with Allison. You said that we didn’t have any real interest in helping you. What did you mean by that? Are you in trouble?”</p><p>“You expect me to trust you enough to tell you why I’m here and what’s going on? I know your kind. You think you already know everything and you’re only willing to do what you must to solve your case. By the time I was brought in here, you had already decided that I was the culprit, and what I have to say doesn’t matter.”</p><p>Stiles blows out a breath from between his teeth slowly. “That’s a lot of assumptions that you’re making about me. And you know what they say about assumptions.”</p><p>Both of Derek’s eyebrows raise in a mocking way. “Oh? Tell me I’m wrong.” His lips quirk into the smallest smile. “I’ll know if you’re lying.”</p><p>Instead of rising to the quip, Stiles rolls his eyes. “Oh please. I’m not afraid of you. Hate to break it to you, big guy.” He links his fingers together and leans his head on them. “Now, what brought you back to Beacon Hills, and are you in trouble?”</p><p>For a moment, Stiles thinks that Derek is actually going to talk to him. Instead, he frowns and says, “Yes. I’m stuck in this precinct being questioned by an idiot waiting for the FBI assholes to come and pick my up. I would call that trouble, wouldn’t you?”</p><p>On an exhale, Stiles rises from his chair. “Okay, I get it. You’re done talking for now, that’s fine. I’ll come back later.” He leaves before Derek can react, heading towards Lydia’s desk. She doesn’t acknowledge him when he rolls a chair over, focusing all of her attention on a complicated math equation. If she’s mad enough to be solving equations, Derek must really have gotten under her skin. </p><p>“Are you okay?” He asks, because he obviously has a death wish. If there is one thing that Lydia hates, it’s being seen as fragile in any way. But he has to ask anyway. </p><p>Predictably, she scoffs. “Of course I am.” Her pen stutters over the page. “I just-. Hardly anyone can tell, even werewolves. He caught me off guard and it made me mad. I shouldn’t have given him the satisfaction of seeing me storm out though.”</p><p>“So long as you’re good,” he says while trying not to smile. </p><p>In an effort to seem entirely unbothered, she flips her hair over one shoulder and turns back to her math problem. “Well. Did he say anything useful?”</p><p>The smile that pulls his mouth up is actually genuine. “No. But I’m pretty sure I’m wearing him down.”</p><p>That actually makes her snort. “If anyone can do that, it’s definitely you.”</p><p>He takes that as the compliment it was obviously meant to be. </p><p>Allison and Scott aren’t back yet, so Stiles rolls back his desk and tries to get some work done. It’s hard, because he just keeps thinking about Derek and what he could possibly be up against. </p><p>After a while, John comes over and stands at his desk. “Hey,” he says, pushing some paperwork aside. “What’s up?”</p><p>The casual tone makes John roll his eyes, but he’s used to it. All of his deputies are far too familiar with him, especially Stiles. But that’s what comes with working in such a small, familiar town (and having one’s son as an employee). “Stiles, will you come with me for a few minutes? There’s something that I want to run by you.”</p><p>Glad to have a break from his paperwork, Stiles follows John back to his office. When they’re inside, and the door is firmly shut, John turns and looks him in the eye.</p><p>“I want you to go back in there with Derek,” he says without waiting for Stiles to get settled in the seat across from his desk. </p><p>Stiles can feel his eyebrows climb. “What? Why?”</p><p>Settling into his chair, John sighs. “I just got a call from Scott and Allison. They followed Derek’s scent pretty far into the forest. It lead them into the trees behind the old Hale house, which probably shouldn’t be a surprise, except it was pretty far from where Allison found him. When they got there, they found a stash of clothes and provisions. Some of it definitely belonged to Derek, but there were other scents mixed in with his, both male and female.”</p><p>That’s a surprise. As far as anyone knows, Derek travels alone. Even though he’s an alpha, there has never been any evidence that he has a pack of his own. </p><p>John nods at his surprised expression and keeps talking. “The area where they found the clothes was wrecked, as though there was a fight that went down. And some of the shirts had blood soaked through them. Scott was pretty sure that it was Derek’s. They tried to follow some of the other scents but they were older than Derek’s, almost as though he had sent whoever was with him away before the fight broke out. They’re on their way back now, but I would like to try and get some more information from Derek before they get here. I have a really bad feeling about whatever is going on. The sooner we can figure it out, the better.”</p><p>Stiles swallows. He knew that there was something that Derek wasn’t telling them, but he wasn’t really expecting something like this. “Sure thing, Sheriff. I’ll get Lydia and-.”</p><p>John stops him. “No. I want you to do this by yourself. I saw what happened earlier, how she stormed out of the room but you stayed behind. If anyone can get Derek to talk, it’s you, and I don’t want anyone else in there trying to press him for answers.”</p><p>Maybe he shouldn’t feel good about being the person chosen to hang out with Derek, but he does. Knowing that his dad, the sheriff trusts him with this and believes that he can actually break through Derek’s shell, it’s kind of an honor.</p><p>“I’ll go over there now,” he decides, already getting to his feet. John doesn’t stop him, and soon enough he’s taking the chair opposite of Derek once again. </p><p>“I told you I would be back soon,” he tells him, sounding cheery enough that it makes Derek roll his eyes. “But I don’t want to talk about Jane.”</p><p>“Then what do you want?” Derek snaps. Stiles feels good that at least he’s not being ignored.</p><p>“I want to ask you about your pack.” Just like that, Derek’s demeanor changes completely. His shoulders pull back and his spine straightens, but the biggest change is that his eyes start glowing bright red. Stiles presses on. “One of my team members followed your scent through the woods until they found your campsite. We know that you weren’t traveling alone.”</p><p>“You better not go after them,” he snarls. Stiles is a little happy that the table is between them when he sees how sharp Derek’s teeth are.</p><p>“Woah, hey. Who said anything about going after them? I’m just concerned about what happened to them. There was a lot of blood at the campsite, which indicates that there must have been a fight or something there. Was this what you meant when you said that you needed help?”</p><p>“I didn’t say I needed any help.” Despite the growl still evident in his voice, Derek’s posture relaxes and his eyes return to their human shade. “You just decided that I did.”</p><p>“You might not have asked for help, but you indicated that there is something that is bothering you, something that you’re worried about. And I’m stubborn. Something is going on here, but I can’t help if you don’t talk to me.”</p><p>“Why do you care? Why not just lock me up, throw away the key, and be done with it.”</p><p>“Maybe some officers would be okay with that, but I’m not. And neither is anyone in this office. The sheriff and my team, we’re good people. If you are in trouble or if your pack is, we want to help, regardless of who you are. That’s why we haven’t called anyone else about having picked you up.”</p><p>Surprise lights Derek’s eyes, and Stiles is struck with how expressive he is. He would have thought, with everything that he heard about Derek, that he would be pretty robotic with his expressions. “You haven’t told anyone else I’m here?”</p><p>Slowly, wondering if it was a bad idea to give that information away, Stiles shakes his head. “No. We wanted a chance to ask about Jane before we informed anyone of your arrest.”</p><p>Neither of them say anything for a long moment. Just when Stiles is convinced that it’s time to give Derek another break, Derek speaks up. “And you won’t arrest them?” His voice is unsure and small in a way that takes Stiles by surprise yet again.</p><p>Immediately, he nods. “As far as I’m concerned, the crimes you’ve committed are yours and yours alone. We just want to figure out what’s going on here.” There is clear hesitation and mistrust coloring Derek’s expression, so Stiles presses on. “Listen. There’s no way that you can get out of this precinct and back to your pack in one piece. We have more wards than should legally be allowed on one building, not to mention several officers who are more than qualified to take down werewolves. If your pack is in trouble, if there is something going down that we don’t know about, you need to tell me. Because we’re the only ones who can help them now.”</p><p>“I don’t trust cops,” Derek says bluntly. His voice is monotone and completely devoid of emotion. “I don’t trust anyone.”</p><p>“For good reason, I’m sure.”</p><p>“My pack is the only thing that matters to me. I’ve already lost one. I can’t-. I won’t lose another.”</p><p>“Then let me help you. I’m not asking you to start trusting all cops or something. Hell, I don’t trust all cops, and I am one. But trust me enough to let me help your pack.” He softens his voice. “I know how hard that is and what I’m asking. But it may be the only hope you have.” He pats the table twice. “How about this? It’s lunch time. I know I’m hungry, and if I had to hazard a guess, you probably are too. So, what if I order some pizza or something and let you think about my offer? What do you say, you want a large meat lovers and some time to ponder whether or not I’m trust worthy enough to help you out?”</p><p>A conflicted emotion passes over Derek’s face. “They would let you do that? What kind of department is this?”</p><p>Stiles actually laughs at that. “Listen, we’re by the book for the most part.” <i>Sometimes</i>. “But there’s no point in having a stick up the ass when it comes to dealing with people. There’s nothing worse than cops that think they’re better than anyone else and then treat people like shit, you know.”</p><p>As he talks, Derek’s eyebrows have climbed higher and higher. That makes Stiles laugh harder. Who would have thought that Derek Hale, criminal extraordinaire, would have such expressive caterpillar eyebrows.</p><p>“I’m going to go put in an order, okay. You stay here and think, and I’ll be right back.”</p><p>Stiles darts out of the room, grabbing his phone from his desk before popping his head into John’s office. “I’m going to order a pizza for Derek. Cool, cool?” He tries to leave before John has a chance to say anything, but it doesn’t work.</p><p>“Now hold on just a minute. I told you to talk to him and now you want to buy him food? He didn’t charm you, did he?”</p><p>Stiles snorts. “He’s a werewolf, not a witch or a druid. Besides, he couldn’t put a charm on me without the wards responding. I just want to feed him and get him to trust me. Okay?”</p><p>Sighing in a way that indicates that he knows arguing is pointless, John agrees. “Okay, fine. Just-. Put it on the station card.”</p><p>Stiles grins. “That was the plan. Thanks, Sheriff.” With the boss taken care of, Stiles orders the pizza online and then wanders to the front desk. Tara, who’s manning the desk, frowns when she sees the grin on his face.</p><p>“What did you do now, Stiles?” After knowing him since he was just a little boy, her unease is well-founded. </p><p>“Hey now, I didn’t do anything! I’m just here to let you know that I have a few pizzas coming in and I was wondering if you would be willing to bring them to me when they get here.”</p><p>Tara’s lips thin. “Was the tip already paid?” He nods. “Well, alright then. So long as that’s taken care of, I’ll make sure I get it and bring it to you.”</p><p>His smile widens. “Thanks, Tara! I’ll be in the interrogation room! Just knock and I’ll come get them, bye!”</p><p>Her eyes widen and she swipes for his arm but he’s already dashing away. “Wait, Stiles!”</p><p>With a cackle, Stiles goes back to Derek. “Okay,” he says, humming as the door clicks shut. “I got our order in, so hopefully it should be here soon. I got extra breadsticks so you better be hungry.”</p><p>Derek doesn’t answer. He’s staring at Stiles as he sits down, eyebrows furrowed. Stiles is content to sit in silence if that’s what Derek needs. He pulls out his phone and opens his most recent game of solitaire, ready to pass the time until the food gets there. </p><p>Out of nowhere, Derek says, “I have three pack members.” Stiles flicks his eyes up to look at him then puts his phone away. Derek’s expression is hard, but he keeps talking. “They’ve been with me for a while, and I’ll do anything that I can to protect them. I-.” He grits his teeth. “I can’t do that here. So I don’t have any other choice but to trust you to help them.”</p><p>“I will do everything I can to make sure that they’re safe.”</p><p>Derek nods. “I believe that,” he sounds genuinely surprised by that but Stiles doesn’t let himself feel bad about it. As best as he can while handcuffed, Derek reaches into his jacket and tugs a worn wallet out of an inside pocket. He opens it up and rummages around for a moment before pulling out a set of pictures, offering it to Stiles without hesitation. </p><p>The pictures must have came out of a photo booth of some sort. In it, four people are squished comfortably together smiling at the camera with their eyes closed to avoid camera flare. Stiles recognizes Derek instantly. He looks the most disgruntled out of everyone, but there is still a small smile teasing his lips. The three others, Derek’s betas, seem to be around Stiles’ age. </p><p>“Boyd is my second,” Derek says, reaching awkwardly across the table to point at the grinning black man in the pictures. “And these are Isaac and Erica. They are the only thing that matter to me.”</p><p>“Where are they?’ Stiles asks, staring at each of their faces. He wonders if Derek would mind if he made a copy of the photos. Probably.</p><p>“I don’t know. When we were attacked, I told them to run. I told them that I would take care of the danger. Instead, I was almost overpowered. So I ran too. That’s when I was hit and brought here.”</p><p>Stiles head is reeling. Derek really was attacked. They were right.</p><p>“Who attacked you?”</p><p>Despite being so forthcoming, it’s obvious that Derek hesitates. Stiles is ready to press, but then someone knocks on the door.</p><p>With a heavy sigh, Stiles gets up and opens the door. Tara is waiting for him on the other side, two pizza boxes and a smaller box of breadsticks balanced carefully in one hand. “I took two pieces of this as payment for signing for it,” she says with a smile. “Also, Parrish whined when he smelled it, so you’re definitely getting shit later for not ordering for the whole station.”</p><p>That makes Stiles groan. “Gods, Parrish is worse than a werewolf, I swear. That guy could sniff out a pepperoni from a mile away.”</p><p>Tara laughs and passes him the boxes. “That’s the truth. It’s a good thing that Scott isn’t back yet. Otherwise he would be pouting at you too.” She offers him a plastic bag. “There are some waters in there, and extra crushed red pepper if you need it.”</p><p>“Tara you are the best. If you ever decide to leave your husband,” he trails off, wiggling his eyebrows at her in a familiar way. </p><p>She smacks at him, like always, and laughs. “Not a chance, Stilinski. You have fun in there, got it.” </p><p>Stiles doesn’t wait to see her go. Instead he shuts the door and brings the pizza to the table. Derek’s nose twitches at the smell. Offering him a plate after opening all the boxes, Stiles realizes that they’re going to have a problem. He’s not really comfortable taking Derek’s handcuffs off seeing as he has claws and could easily dismember Stiles, but he can’t really eat pizza when his hands are bound only a few inches from one another.</p><p>“If I go over there to hook one side of your cuffs to the bar on the table so you can eat, will you try to bite my face off?”</p><p>With what Stiles would consider the sassiest eye-roll in history, Derek deadpans, “You don’t smell nearly as appetizing as the pizza, so you’re probably safe.”</p><p>Blinking at him, Stiles is actually kind of impressed by the answer. Sassy McWerewolf really can dish it out. Who knew?</p><p>“Har har,” Stiles says finally, getting up to rearrange Derek’s handcuffs. He’s careful when he does it, but Derek doesn’t resist at all. Even though he is technically still cuffed, Stiles knows that his solution almost isn’t any better than just removing the handcuffs completely. The hand that is free still has claws that would tear his human skin to shreds easily. But the way he sees it, it’s a sign of good faith to let his one hand go. </p><p>Plus, you know. Pizza.</p><p>“There, that’s better isn’t it. Dig in. Take as much as you’d like too. Any leftovers will have to stay here with you, or the department will tear itself apart vying for the last piece.”</p><p>As soon as Derek bites into his first slice, Stiles realizes that he isn’t going to have to worry about leftovers. Because Derek is an alpha werewolf who hasn’t eaten in several hours. He’s going to be lucky to get his usual four pieces. </p><p>Sure enough, Derek devours the pizzas. He looks a little embarrassed about it after he’s done, but Stiles isn’t. He’s seen Scott eat. At least Derek is polite about it. </p><p>“So,” Stiles prompts as he finishes his last breadstick, licking garlic butter from his fingers. “Back to what we were talking about before; do you know who it was that attacked you?”</p><p>The question makes Derek flinch. He seems a lot more human now, more than just a figure from stories and files and lost memories. “Yes. I-. A few months ago, someone contacted me to let me know that there was a pack poking around the Hale territory back here in Beacon Hills. They let me know that the pack was bad news, and asked if I would come back and claim the land.”</p><p>Stiles can’t help but be skeptical. “So what? You came back here, just like that?”</p><p>“Beacon Hills was my family’s land for a very, very long time. My ancestors made this town, and the thought of abandoning it, of ruining it-.” He shakes his head. “Imagine having someone come into your home and decide to take it over, ready to ruin everything that your family worked so hard to build. It’s infuriating thinking about it. And being a werewolf makes that feeling worse, because this is my territory. The land runs in my blood.” He exhales, a harsh sound in the small room. “But no. It wasn’t enough to bring me back. As much as it hurt, letting it go, I was ready to.”</p><p>Stiles scrunches up his nose, trying to put everything together. “What changed then? Something brought you back to Beacon Hills.”</p><p>Derek scrubs at his face with his free hand. “The pack threatened me. They threatened my pack. For them, taking free land wasn’t - isn’t enough. They want to end the Hale line and stake their claim.”</p><p>“And you played into their hands?” Stiles sounds a little incredulous, but seriously? This guy is the person who’s evaded the FBI for years? He’s their murdering mastermind? </p><p>“I’m not an idiot,” Derek snaps. “I knew that it was a trap. But-. Did you hear about Carter Pace?”</p><p>It takes Stiles a few moments to place the name. “The guy that was killed in Florida two weeks ago?” Stiles doesn’t know much about the case. All he knows is that Carter’s body was found, throat slashed, on the front porch of a small cabin off the highway.</p><p>“We had been staying at the cabin, the pack and I. Carter was left there for us, as a promise of what was to come. The pack knew where we were staying. They killed another werewolf to get their point across. So I knew that staying away wasn’t going to help. They were already on the hunt.”</p><p>That’s-. Gods, Stiles wishes that he wasn’t sitting in the room having to listen to this alone. It’s a lot to take in. “And yet you came back anyway? Right where they want you?”</p><p>“I tried to get my pack to stay behind so that they would be safe. I tried to give up the alpha spark to Boyd so I could leave the pack and they wouldn’t have to carry my burden. They wouldn’t have it. We’re-. We’re family. And they told me, point blank, that we would face the threat together and win, or die as one. At first we thought about running. But between the FBI and this new threat, where would have been safe?”</p><p>Gods, werewolves are stupid. “So your brought your turf war back here?”</p><p>“Life is circular. Sometimes, things need to end where they begin.”</p><p>“So you were already preparing to die?” He throws his hands in the air, unable to help it. “I thought that you were this big shot crime boss! Or are you just that sure you’ll win?”</p><p>Anger flashes over Derek’s expression. “You don’t know anything about me,” he spits. “You guys think you have it all figured out, but you don’t know shit! We decided, as a pack, that we needed to come back here. It was a group decision, one that I disagreed with on the principle of keeping them safe. But all three of them wanted to face the threat here. They would have came after me if I tried to leave them behind.” His voice softens. “We’ve spent so long running. Even before they were turned, they were trying to escape their situations and since the fire, I have been too. And-.” His expression shutters. “It’s exhausting. Do you have any idea how hard it is to wonder, every day, if everything you care about will be taken away again? This decision was really the only one we could make. We’re tired. They can’t do it any more, and I won’t ask them too.”</p><p>Stiles needs like, three shots to deal with this. He can understand where Derek is coming from. It actually makes a lot of sense. But it also has him questioning everything that he thought he knew about him, which is disconcerting to say the least.</p><p>And, on top of that, a literal turf war is about to break out in his hometown. </p><p>“Okay. I-. Fine. I can understand where you were coming from. I would like to think I have better self preservation skills than that, but who knows what I would do in the same situation.” He tries to gather his thoughts. “Do you know who it is that is targeting you?” Derek nods. “Okay, good. Do you think that they have your pack members?” Slowly, Derek shakes his head no. “Okay, that’s good too. Will you tell me who they are? And if I brought a sketch artist in, would you be able to describe them?”</p><p>“I could. But-. You don’t need an artist to figure out who they are. The leader of the group is Deucalion.”</p><p>This is a name that Stiles recognizes instantly. “Of Deucalion Enterprise?” Deucalion Enterprise is a leading research facility that focuses on cancer research. Deucalion is the blind werewolf who founded the company after his human mate got cancer, refused the bite, and then died because there was no cure. “The cancer research guy is the one going after you?”</p><p>“I know how it sounds. Trust me, I get it. Deucalion Enterprise has done a lot of good with their research. But he doesn’t have anything to do with the company anymore. Deucalion has always blamed my mom for the death of his wife. At the time, he wasn’t an alpha, so he brought Abagail to my mother for the bite. Before my mom would agree, she told Abagail all of the risks. With her compromised immune system, it was more than likely that the change would be rejected and she would be killed. Abagail decided that it wasn’t worth it. She wanted to enjoy the rest of her time with her husband rather than be killed faster. Together they founded Deucalion Enterprise, and he hoped that they would find a cure fast enough that she would be saved. Of course it didn’t work.</p><p>“After that, Deucalion changed. He hated himself for not being powerful enough to save Abagail, and he hated my mother for not giving her the bite despite it being Abigail’s decision. He wants power, which is why he wants the Hale land so badly. The earth here is enriched with magic. And with me out of the way, there is nothing preventing him from taking it for himself. Plus, by killing me, it’s like he’s getting his own revenge against my mother.”</p><p>Stiles’ head is reeling. He knows how hard it is to watch someone you love be eaten away by an incurable disease. After his mom got sick, they talked about the possibility of asking for the bite. But, like Abagail, Claudia had turned down the idea. She didn’t want to be a werewolf, and even faced with her own death that didn’t change. Stiles had been angry about it, but he was angry at the disease killing his mom, not at her decision to stay human. It’s one of the reasons that he’s never asked for the bite. He <i>likes</i> being human. His small Spark is more than enough for him. To think that Deucalion was like him, even a little bit, is kind of crazy. But instead of moving on and focusing on his company and making positive change, he became bent on revenge with a thirst for power to quell the helplessness he felt watching the love of his life die.</p><p>“Wait wait wait. Hold on a second. You said, at the time he wasn’t an alpha? Which means that now he is?”</p><p>Derek nods. “Yeah. He-.” He sighs. “Amongst our kind, he’s known as the demon wolf. He challenged an alpha up in Maine for control, and he won. But then, instead of taking the pack as his own, he slaughtered them. And that made him more powerful. Then, he put together a different pack, one that he picked out on his own. And that pack did the same thing, killing their old packs and taking their power. Deucalion is the alpha in a pack of five alpha werewolves. That’s who’s hunting my pack, and if I had to guess, someone in his group is probably also the person who killed Jane.”</p><p>“If that’s true,” he trails off. If that’s true, they’re in some deep shit. A pack made of alphas? Stiles didn’t even know that was possible. “Are you sure?”</p><p>The smile that tugs Derek’s lips up is devoid of humor. “Positive. Which is why, as you can probably imagine, I’m worried about my pack.”</p><p>Stiles is worried too. About all of them, and about Beacon Hills. The last thing he wants is for Deucalion to take control of the land there. To have the land is to have the town. And they obviously don’t need some revenge hungry psycho in charge of anything.</p><p>And he had thought that Derek would be his biggest problem that morning. </p><p>“I need to let my team know. Hell, I need to let everyone know.”</p><p>“Please,” Derek says, voice soft. He tilts his head down towards the table so that Stiles can’t see his eyes. “Please, help my pack. I don’t care what happens to me, but you have to help them. They’ve never done anything wrong.”</p><p>Without thinking about it, Stiles reaches out and puts his hand over Derek’s. They both freeze at the contact, shock making it impossible to move. But when Derek doesn’t put his claws through Stiles’ hand, Stiles decides to hell with it and squeezes. “We’ll do everything that we can to help them. I promise.”</p><p>He knows for a fact that his heartbeat is steady. And, when Derek tilts his head down even more and closes his eyes, Stiles knows that he heard it too. </p><p>—————</p><p>It takes no time at all for Stiles to get his team together and tell them what he’s learned. Allison and Scott had only just gotten back to the precinct when Stiles corals them into a back office. Lydia is suspicious (she’s suspicious by nature), but both Scott and Allison believe that Derek is telling the truth based on what they found at the little camp. John’s frown keeps deepening as Stiles talks. By the time Stiles is finished, they all look ready for a drink.</p><p>“You believe he’s telling the truth?” John asks, rubbing his forehead probably harder than he should. </p><p>Stiles nods. “Yeah. I do.”</p><p>“He’s a murderer,” Lydia argues. “A well known, high profile criminal. How can we be sure?”</p><p>Stiles wants to say that he’s not sure that Derek is actually a killer at all. Something about talking to him made him question everything he thought that he knew. ‘You don’t know anything about me. <i>You guys think you have it all figured out, but you don’t know shit!’</i> He doesn’t think that putting that out there will help at all though, so he keeps his mouth shut. </p><p>“We can check and see if there is any news of packs turning up dead across the US. If whole packs were killed, there will be some trace of it somewhere.”</p><p>“I’ll have Danny work on that,” John says with a nod. “Lydia, I want you to stay here and help him. Between the two of you, we should have answers real fast. Scott, I want you back out in the woods. Start at the Hale house and move from there. Take Parrish and his team with you. Allison, I want you and Stiles to stop in with Derek and ask him if there is anywhere that he thinks his betas would go. Follow whatever lead he gives you. If he can’t think of anything, go to the industrial area. It’s right on the edge of the woods, and there are a lot of places down there for three werewolves to hide.</p><p>Before they can move, John holds out his hands to stop them. “I want all of you to be very careful. Deucalion is not someone to trifle with, and if there is a whole pack of alphas with him, we have to be smart. Chances are, he won’t believe that Derek sold him out, but he’ll know that we’re looking for the betas so we need to be on our toes. Right now, finding those three is very important. Not only will they be able to confirm or deny Derek’s story, it’s our duty to keep them safe. I’ll brief everyone else about what’s going on just-. Be safe.”</p><p>“You got it, Boss,” Scott says with a serious expression. “We’ll be careful.” </p><p>“I know you will. Now, get out of here. Let’s get this done.”</p><p>Stiles is the last one to leave the room. Before he goes, John grabs ahold of his elbow. “Hey, what’s up?”</p><p>“Son, I-.” He sighs. “Don’t make any reckless decisions out there. Please. As your boss, I can’t condone it. And as your dad, well-. Just don’t. You’re good at the job, and I trust you’ll be able to find the betas. But don’t be reckless.”</p><p>When Stiles started at the station, there were a few concerns about what it would mean for John to be Stiles’ boss. But they make it work well. If they lived in a big city it never would have happened. But here in Beacon Hills, it’s not that big of a deal. At times like this though, John questions his decision to hire Stiles. That’s his son he’s sending out while there is a pack of alpha werewolves lingering around. That’s his son he’s putting into the line of danger. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be safe. Promise. I need to go now though, okay. We’ll get this done and I’ll be back before you notice I’m gone.”</p><p>John pulls Stiles into a quick hug, pats his back hard, then lets him go. “Alright. Get out there. Let’s do this.”</p><p>As he goes, John watches with the pride of a father. Stiles grew up well, even with all his troubled teenage years. They made it through that, they can make it through this. They’re Stilinski’s, and Stilinski’s are strong.</p><p>“Do you want me to come in with you?” Allison asks as they make their way towards Derek. Stiles shrugs. It doesn’t really matter to him. Derek knows that he was going to tell his team. Having Allison with him won’t change anything.</p><p>Nodding, Allison follows him into the room. Derek looks up when they enter, eyeing her suspiciously before turning all of his attention to Stiles. “What now?” The question is harsh, but there’s something underneath that, something that is almost soft. </p><p>Taking a deep breath, Stiles asks, “Do you know of anywhere the betas might run? I know that Beacon Hills is new to them, but is there anywhere they might go?” His eyebrows furrow as he thinks, but ultimately Derek shrugs. “Right, okay. That’s kind of what I thought. Do you think it could be possible that they would hide out in the old industrial area? It’s not the ideal place, but it’s right outside the woods and they wouldn’t have to worry about being around other people.”</p><p>“It’s possible,” Derek says slowly. Thinking about it more, Derek nods. “Yeah, they might. We’re used to staying in more remote areas, so it makes sense that they would stay somewhere they wouldn’t be seen by the general public.”</p><p>“Okay. That’s where we’re going to start our search. Just-.” He gets an idea. “Hey, I just thought of something. Give me your jacket.” Derek stares at him like he’s lost his mind. It makes Stiles roll his eyes. “Dude, I know that the leather is part of your whole look. But it will have your scent on it. They’ll recognize that and it might help getting them to come out.”</p><p>“Deucalion will be able to follow the scent too,” he says slowly. “Do you have a death wish?”</p><p>“No, that’s you. Remember? I feel like we’ve already figured that out. Now, give me your jacket.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Allison touches the center of his back softly. “Stiles, I don’t think-.”</p><p>He ignores her. “Give me the damn jacket, Derek. As far as your pack knows, we’re the enemy too. Having something with your scent on it will help get them to trust us.”</p><p>“Or they’ll think you stole it from me to lure them out. This is a dumb idea.”</p><p>“I need something to get them to trust me! Please.”</p><p>His reasoning seems to be breaking Derek down. Finally he sighs. “The jacket won’t work. Trust me, I know my pack. They’ll know that I was arrested and figure out that you’re trying to trick them.” Stiles opens his mouth to protest, but Derek waves him forward. “Come here. I know what might work.”</p><p>It probably says something about him that Stiles doesn’t hesitate crossing the distance to stand in front of where Derek is climbing awkwardly to his feet. Allison squeaks in concern, but Stiles isn’t worried. He trusts Derek not to hurt him. How else will he be able to help his pack?</p><p>As best he can while one hand is still cuffed to the table, Derek uses his free hand to pull Stiles close to him, burying his nose against Stiles’ neck. That makes his heartbeat race, not only because Derek is still potentially a murderer. But also he’s a very attractive man currently huffing warm breath against his skin, and Stiles has been single a very, very long time. </p><p>Realizing that he’s scenting him, Stiles lets his body relax into Derek’s. He probably imagines the small whine that escapes Derek when he does. He’s always had a pretty active imagination. </p><p>Finally, after several minutes, Derek pulls back. His eyes glow alpha red, but again Stiles isn’t afraid. He keeps his body close as Derek rubs his hand once more over the smooth skin of Stiles’ neck. “There,” he says, voice rough. His hand drops to his side. “That will work.”</p><p>Swallowing twice, Stiles stumbles away from him, flushing when he almost trips. “Cool, cool,” he says after he’s regained his balance. He clears his throat. “Thank you.”</p><p>Derek sits carefully back in his chair. “Find them,” he intones. “Please.”</p><p>Stiles smiles. “We will.”</p><p>—————</p><p>Allison has the decency to wait until they’re outside before she smacks the back of his head. “What the hell was that?” She hisses. “Are you crazy?”</p><p>Stiles shrugs and doesn’t look at her. “We want the pack to trust us, right?”</p><p>“Stiles! The sheriff told us to be careful! Letting Derek Hale rub himself against your neck is not being careful!”</p><p>“I didn’t get eaten!”</p><p>“Yeah, but you could have! Hell, from where I was standing it kind of looked like you wanted to be! Just because you got him to open up to you, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a killer!”</p><p>He knows that she’s right. Of course he does. It was dangerous. But Stiles doesn’t regret it. And, by the resigned look on Allison’s face, she knows that too. “Come on. Let’s just go and find the betas. There’s no use standing around here and arguing. And,” She sighs like Stiles is the biggest pain in her ass, “I won’t tell your dad what you just did.”</p><p>He bumps his hip into hers before clambering around to the passenger side of the car they’re taking. It doesn’t take that long to get to the industrial section of town, and they spend the time trying to come up with a gameplay for how they’re going to conduct their search. It would be easiest to split up and try to cover as much ground as possible, but it seems way too risky to do that. So they decide to stick together, move quickly but efficiently through each building, and try their best not to miss anything that could be helpful in hunting them down. </p><p>They get started as soon as they pull up, with Stiles in the lead and Allison flanking him. Even though they don’t want to scare the betas or come across as threatening, Allison keeps her weapon drawn, and Stiles has his at the ready. They have to be prepared in case it’s the wrong pack that they find. As much as Stiles hates to admit it, if they come across a pack of alphas and it’s just the two of them, they probably won’t make it long enough to get any good shots off, but they’re ready all the same. Now that they’re out there, Stiles hates that they don’t have more backup. </p><p>“Should we call out for them?” Stiles asks, unable to keep his voice completely steady. They’re moving between the abandoned structures, the crunch of dirt under their feet the only sound.</p><p>“Maybe?” Allison says, but it comes out as a question too. “If they know that we know their names, it might help I guess.”</p><p>“Boyd,” Stiles hollers, startling Allison even though she just gave him the go ahead to yell. “Isaac! Erica!”</p><p>“I changed my mind,” Allison mutters. “Don’t call for them. You’re making too much noise.”</p><p>Right as she says that, a dark shape blurs past the entrance of a building to the left of them. They look at each other for a brief moment before, with some hesitation, Allison nods at Stiles to continue. </p><p>“Boyd?” Stiles calls as they duck inside the building. There isn’t anyone waiting inside, not that they can see. “Isaac? Erica?”</p><p>From somewhere farther in the building, potentially somewhere on the second floor, a female voice asks, “How do you know our names?”</p><p>Allison puts her hand on Stiles back, an indication for him to stop moving. When he looks back at her, she nods towards the stairs tucked against the wall to their left. So they are upstairs. Even with that knowledge, neither of them make any moves towards the stairs. It’s better to wait and see what happens, instead of walking in to what could possibly be a trap.</p><p>“Derek told me them,” Stiles answers, projecting his voice louder than probably needed seeing as he’s talking to a group of werewolves. </p><p>“He wouldn’t,” another voice, this time male, responds. “You’re lying!”</p><p>“Listen to my heartbeat. Derek told me who you all are. He showed me the picture of you that he keeps in his wallet, from a photo booth somewhere. You all looked really happy.”</p><p>There’s some scuffling from somewhere above them, and then a man appears at the top of the stairs alone. Stiles smiles gently when he recognizes him. “Boyd. It’s good to see that you’re alright. We were worried something might have happened to you.”</p><p>Boyd takes a few steps down the stairs before stopping about halfway to the first floor. “Who are you?” His voice is different from the male voice from before, which is a relief. That means that all three of the betas are together. They’ve found them all. </p><p>“I’m Stiles. This is my partner Allison. We work for the Beacon Hills sheriff’s department.”</p><p>His expression is impossible to read. “You arrested Derek.” Stiles nods slowly even though Boyd isn’t really asking a question. “And now you’re here looking for us.”</p><p>He holds out both hands in a placating manor. “Just to make sure that you’re safe. It’s like I told you; we were worried something might have happened to you. Derek told me about what went down in the woods and what’s going on here. We were afraid that we would be too late.”</p><p>Allison clears her throat. “I think we should go back to the station,” she mutters, casting a glance around the room. “I don’t like it here. I would feel better if we could regroup with everyone.”</p><p>“Boyd, I know that you’re Derek’s second. And I know that everything is kind of crazy right now. But if you could trust me, just a little bit, I agree with Allison. With that other pack out there somewhere, it would be safer if we went back to the station. I know that you don’t really have any reason to trust us. I tried to get Derek to give me his damn jacket so that you would know we mean well but he wouldn’t. I think he was afraid if he took it off he wouldn’t be intimidating anymore.” He scoffs. “Well, I hate to break it to him but he’s not intimidating anyway. Honestly, he’s kind of a puppy and-”</p><p>Boyd actually laughs, looking surprised about it. “You didn’t need the jacket. We could smell Derek on you as soon as you got close to the building.”</p><p>For some reason, that makes Stiles flush. Behind him, Allison rolls her eyes. “Then can we go please. I’m serious, this place makes me nervous."</p><p>“Will you take us to see Derek?”</p><p>Stiles shrugs. There’s no reason not to let them see their alpha. Hell, it probably would go against some sort of ethics code to try to keep them apart. Pack dynamics are important, and the department will respect them. “Yeah, of course you can see him.”</p><p>With a nod, Boyd says, “Come on guys, let go see Derek.” Immediately, two others come barreling down the stairs, nearly knocking Boyd down. They’re both smiling wide in spite of the situation. </p><p>“I can see why Derek scent marked you so much,” Erica says with an eyebrow waggle when she reaches the first floor. “You’re cute!”</p><p>Stiles flushes at the compliment, and stutters out a confused, “Um, thanks?”</p><p>She laughs, hip-checking him in an overly familiar way on the path towards the door. Allison stares at her in surprise. Hell, everyone is watching her. She looks over her shoulder to grin at the room when she gets to the door. “Are you guys coming or what? Because I-.” Mid sentence, she freezes, nose tilting up towards the sky.</p><p>Immediately, she shuffles back inside. The smile is no longer on her face, Instead, she looks scared. </p><p>That’s enough to let Stiles know what it is she smelled. He looks back at Boyd. “Is there a room up there we can barricade ourselves in?”</p><p>Boyd shakes his head. “Not without trapping ourselves.”</p><p>“We’re already trapped,” Allison curses. “We need somewhere we can defend.” She puts herself between Erica and the open doorway on instinct. </p><p>“There’s a loft up on the third floor that might work.” Isaac offers, shifting nervously from side to side. “It’s not ideal, but it’s far enough off the ground that we wouldn’t have to worry about them coming in the windows, and the door is heavy so it might hold them off for a while.”</p><p>That’s good enough for Allison, who immediately starts corralling everyone towards the stairs. </p><p>A deep voice from the doorway says, “You can run but you can’t hide, little pups.” Stiles whirls towards the voice, pulling his gun from his holster and shooting the figure standing there. Not waiting to see if the shot finds its target, Stiles takes Erica’s hand and rushes towards the stairs.</p><p>“Come on,” he says as he drags her along. She’s growling, but she listens to him anyway, running with him up the rest of the way. Allison is waiting at the door of the loft for them, and together they close and lock it once they are all safely inside. </p><p>It’s obvious that Deucalion let them get away. Whoever was at the door made no move to go after them, and Stiles doesn’t think it’s because he made a clean shot. They’re being toyed with. The pack has probably known all along where the betas were hiding. They had a lot more  time to find them.</p><p>For them, this is a game.</p><p>Pulling out his phone, Stiles calls his dad at that station. Allison gets on her phone too, to let Scott know what’s going on. </p><p>“Stiles,” John says when the line clicks over. “Did you find them?”</p><p>He looks around at Boyd, Erica and Isaac. “Yeah, we did. And they’re safe. For now.”</p><p>“For now, what-?”</p><p>“Deucalion and his pack found us,” he explains, not waiting for his dad to finish his question. There’s no use not using Deucalion’s name anymore, not now that they’ve already been found. He wants to ask about the research that Danny and Lydia did, but there isn’t time. It doesn’t matter anyway. Stiles believes Derek. Deucalion is the one hunting them. He’s sure of it. </p><p>He focuses on sharing the information he has instead. “We’re holed up in one of the buildings, barricaded as best we can. But the pack is here.”</p><p>John curses. “I’ll send backup. Try to hold them off as long as you can.”</p><p>The line clicks, and Stiles sighs. “I think I miss how boring Beacon Hills was,” he mutters, more to himself then to the others, though the statement does make Isaac snort.</p><p>“There wasn’t much to put in front of the door, but we did out best,” Boyd says after Allison finishes her call. Sure enough, the barricade doesn’t really look like much. This area of town had been mostly abandoned. Initially, the plan had been to make the industrial section a hotspot for bars and clubbing to try to appeal to a younger crowd. But halfway through construction a lot of the developers pulled out. The fact that there was anything in the building at all is actually a surprise.</p><p>“What do we do now?” Erica asks, looking around the room. Her fear is evident in her voice. It makes Stiles wonder how they ever thought coming back here and facing the threat was a good idea.</p><p>It also makes him wonder how long they’ve been afraid for. That thought makes him really sad.</p><p>Sensing the change in his mood, Boyd says, “Derek is not a bad person.” Everyone looks at him in surprise. His expression is hard when he meets Stiles’ eyes. “I know what you think of him. I know what his files say. And I’m not going to tell you that he hasn’t killed people. But he doesn’t kill just to kill. He’s not a murderer. I only know of two people that have died by his hand. Two. And both deaths were justified.”</p><p>Stiles doesn’t really know if he has a right to ask. Yeah, he’s an officer of the law, but this is outside of the precinct. This has nothing to do with a case, and it’s off record. Plus is feels a lot more personal than that, almost like he needs Derek’s permission before Boyd tells him. But, seeing as there isn’t really anything else they can be doing while they wait, and because he’s so curious, he asks, “What happened?”</p><p>Boyd sits down on the ground, leaning back against one of the walls. The floor is covered with dirt and dust, but that doesn’t seem to bother him. Erica settles down beside him, reaching out to take his hand, and Stiles sits down across from them. Both Allison and Isaac stay standing, but they give Boyd their attention. </p><p>“The first time Derek killed someone was when an alpha tried to come and tear our pack apart. It was a few months after we all got together, and we were still trying to figure out what being a pack meant. Derek was still figuring out how to be an alpha, but he knew that he would do anything to keep us safe.”</p><p>“I was almost killed,” Isaac says softly, eyes downcast. “Derek saved my life by putting his claws through the other alpha’s throat. After I was healed and everything was okay, Derek sent Boyd, Erica and I to the hotel we were staying at while he waited to explain everything to the cops. He didn’t want us to be involved, so he faced them alone.”</p><p>“And they didn’t believe him?” Allison asks, already seeing where the story is going. </p><p>Boyd nods. “They didn’t believe that Derek killed the other alpha in self defense. They had some really outdated ideas about werewolves and our ‘instinct to kill,’ so to them it was murder without a cause. They tried to arrest him, but Derek ran. Who knows what would have happened had he stayed, but I’m glad that he managed to escape.</p><p>“Of course, that pissed them off. They don’t take kindly to having people evade arrest. That was when the feds decided to go after him themselves. Just like Deucalion is after him because he’s a Hale, in a way so is the FBI. He’s a werewolf from a big named family. Bringing him in as a wanted criminal would make headlines.”</p><p>Thunder cracks overhead, and lightening lights the room as it flashes. Stiles might appreciate how the weather is aligned with their situation if he was so damn worried.</p><p>Boyd continues his story. “The second time, it was actually one of the FBI officers that he killed. The man had gone after us on his own instead of waiting for his team. That was because he didn’t want to arrest Derek. He wanted to kill him. When he found us, Derek tried to reason with him while the rest of us tried to get away. But the guy was prepared. He trapped us in a mountain ash circle, then shot Derek in the shoulder with a wolfsbane bullet. Instead of handcuffing him and giving him the antidote, the officer stood over him and gloated. He got in Derek’s face and kept talking about how unnatural werewolves are and how much better the world would be without us in it. He made it pretty clear that, after Derek was dead, we would be next. But he got too cocky, got a little too close, and before he could move back Derek reached up and was able to catch the guy around the throat with his claws. By the time he managed to get another bullet out of the guy’s gun and burn the wolfsbane to heal himself, the agent was dead. This time we didn’t wait for the other officers to find us. Derek went to a witch he trusted to break the mountain ash circle and she helped us get away. By the time the FBI found their missing agent, we were long gone.”</p><p>“They’ve been pinning cases on him since then,” Erica growls out, eyes flashing in time with the lightening outside.</p><p>“Derek isn’t a bad guy,” Boyd says again. “He’s just an easy target.”</p><p>Allison sighs. Knowing all of this doesn’t change anything. There would be no way that the FBI would believe it, regardless of whether or not it’s the truth. They’re assholes like that. But she believes them. </p><p>Stiles does too. He doesn’t know how to help, but thinking about the FBI going after Derek and blaming him for so many deaths makes him furious. He’s seen the numbers of people Derek’s supposedly killed. It’s way higher than two, that’s for sure.</p><p>His phone rings, startling everyone in the room except Boyd who looks like he’s judging all of them for jumping. “Hello?”</p><p>“Stiles?” Scott’s voice is tinny over the line. “Are you there? Parrish and our group are here, but we don’t know the best way to approach. “The scents are all confused out here because of the rain. We can’t follow them to your location.”</p><p>“We’re about seven building deep,” he says, trying to think back to the way that they walked in. “On the left side if you’re coming from the road. The other pack is out there somewhere though, so be careful.”</p><p>“We’re coming in to get you,” Scott says, voice confident. “Just hold on, we’re-.”</p><p>Faintly, Stiles can hear someone over the line shout out, and then there’s a grunt of pain. “Scott? Scott are you alright?”</p><p>Scott curses into the receiver. “Stiles, I need to let you go. The alphas are here. They-.” The line cuts out, and Stiles says several explicit words before turning to look at Allison.</p><p>“Scott and Parrish are here with their search team, but they’ve been attacked. </p><p>She looks towards the door. “Should we go try to meet up with them and help?”</p><p>Immediately, Stiles shake his head. “No. It would be dumb for all of the alphas to go after our backup and leave us unguarded. If Derek’s pack is the priority, I would argue that whoever went after the officers is just a first line of defense to keep them busy so that the others can take care of us here. We can’t risk leaving.”</p><p>Boyd’s head tilts to the side. Beside him, Erica winces. “You’re right. Deucalion is here. He wanted to let you know that you’re smarter than you look.”</p><p>“He was waiting for Derek before he came for us,” Isaac says, repeating whatever Deucalion must be saying from two floors below. “But he can’t wait any longer. I think he’s sending one of his alphas up here for us now.”</p><p>“We need to get ready,” Allison says, facing the door and steadying her weapon. Stiles moves to the other side of the door and copies her stance while the three beta’s spread themselves out across the room. </p><p>Instead of trying to open the door like a normal being, which is what they’re prepared for, the alpha that Deucalion sent to them breaks through the skylight and drops to the ground behind Isaac, claws already extended. </p><p>Isaac barely has time to shout before she swipes at him, sending him flying across the room with a pained grunt. </p><p>Allison fires three rounds. The first two bullets scrap alongside in the woman’s left shoulder making her scream. The third shot misses as she snarls and lunges for Allison. Erica catches her arm before she reaches Allison though, grabbing her and using her own momentum to send her into Boyd’s attack. Unfortunately the injuries that he inflicts when he slices his claws through her abdomen heal pretty fast but Boyd still has enough time to get out of range before she can retaliate.</p><p>Stiles takes his own shot as soon as Boyd is far enough away that he has no chance of being used as a shield. His bullets hit the woman in the back with a force that brings her to her knees. </p><p>He’s actually pretty impressed with how well they’re working together. The thought of facing off against five alpha werewolves seemed so daunting. But when it’s five of them against only one alpha, their chances seem a lot better. </p><p>Of course, right as he thinks that, another alpha werewolf falls through the hole left in the skylight. “Kali,” he snarls when he sees the state of his pack mate. The anger in his voice seems to shake the whole room. Allison fires her gun but the new threat ducks and advances on her. Stiles starts to move closer to act as her backup but Isaac is already by her side having finally recovered from the swipe Kali took at him. Boyd advances behind him, but Kali sees his intentions as she staggers back to her feet</p><p>“Ennis, watch from behind,” she calls, giving the other alpha plenty of warning. He reacts faster than any of them are prepared for, spinning around and gripping Boyd around the throat. Spinning back towards Allison and Isaac, Ennis throws Boyd at them, knocking them all to the ground with loud grunts. </p><p>Erica punches Kali in the face, distracting her before she can make any move to join Ennis, and Stiles focuses on shooting as many rounds at he can at him, pleased when at least three of them find their mark. </p><p>A loud howl makes everyone in the room freeze. He meets Isaac’s wide eyes. “Was that Deucalion?”</p><p>Boyd is the one who responds. “No. It’s Derek.”</p><p>Instead of continuing their attack, Ennis and Kali run toward the back wall and jump through the windows, not caring about the three story drop. “They’re going after him,” Erica says. It looks like she’s ready to jump out the window too, but Stiles grabs her before she can. </p><p>“Use the door,” he says, already moving to push their feeble barricade out of the way. Boyd helps Allison and Isaac to their feet and together they get everything moved. As soon as the last piece of furniture is shoved aside, the betas open the door and take off without waiting to make a plan.</p><p>Allison looks over at Stiles with a frown. “Come on. Those three will get themselves killed if we don’t hurry.” Stiles knows that she’s right, and he takes the lead running down the stairs. Outside of the building, the ground is a mess of mud from the rain. For a moment, Stiles is worried that they won’t be able to find the betas again, but then he hears the sounds of a fight in the distance and decides that the best shot they have is to follow the noise.</p><p>It was a good call. Soon enough, they show where a massive fight is going down right on the edge of the woods. Erica and Isaac are working together against Kali, though it seems like out in the open she has the upper hand. Boyd is squaring off against Ennis as best he can by himself. And, sure enough, Derek is there, trading blow for blow with Deucalion himself. </p><p>Off to one side of the fight, John stands with his gun at the ready, waiting for whatever shot he can get.</p><p>“Where are the others?” Allison asks as they join him. John meets her gaze briefly then turns back to the fight.</p><p>“They’re taking care of the other alphas. Their fight should be over soon. There were two of them, but they conjoined to form one larger werewolf, if I’m understanding that correct. Last I talked to Parrish, they nearly had them subdued.”</p><p>“What is Derek doing here?” Stiles questions, watching as Deucalion tries sink his claws into Derek’s gut. Luckily, Derek is able to dance just out of range with a snarl.</p><p>“He managed to escape his cell,” John says, sounding far too cheery. “Don’t know how it happened, but I figured that I should probably follow him.” The lie isn’t convincing at all, but Stiles isn’t going to call him out for it right now. Instead, he focuses his attention on where Boyd and Ennis are fighting. He points his gun on Ennis and waits for an opening. </p><p>Over his shoulder, Boyd meets his eyes briefly. Understanding passes between them. Boyd kicks Ennis hard, causing him to stumble backwards, and then Boyd hits the ground, giving Stiles his opening. Both John and Stiles fire several shots. They find there mark, and Ennis hits the ground with a grunt.</p><p>Kali turns away from her fight when Ennis stays down. With a snarl, she launches herself towards the three all too human officers. Out of nowhere, Scott appears, grabbing Kali midair and slamming her back to the ground. Her left foot, with nastily impressive toenail claws, finds purchase against Scott’s thigh, shredding through his pants and the skin underneath. </p><p>“Scott!” Allison yells. Her voice is shaking, but her aim is true. As soon as her shots hit Kali, both of them imbedding themselves in her head, Allison rushes to Scott’s side to help him stand up. The wound on his leg is bleeding sluggishly and healing slowly, but Stiles isn’t too worried about it. He knows that wounds from an alpha take longer to heal. Erica and Isaac join their little huddle. </p><p>“Thanks for that,” Erica tells Scott after Allison helps him limp over. Her wrist is bent at an unsightly angel, but it doesn’t appear to be bothering her that much. Isaac has scratches running down the length of his face, but they’ve already stopped bleeding. </p><p>Over Isaac’s shoulder, Stiles sees Deucalion catch Derek around the neck, burying the claws of his other in Derek’s chest. A scream tears from his throat, raw and full of pain. From where they’re standing, Stiles can’t get a clean shot without potentially hitting Derek. And he’s not willing to risk it. </p><p>“Your mother took everything from me,” Deucalion snarls, face close to Derek’s. Shifting out of his beta form, Derek’s hands come up to grip the hand that Deucalion has around his neck. Even from several feet away, his breathing sounds wet.</p><p>“She didn’t kill Abagail,” he says as best he can.</p><p>Deucalion shakes him. “She did! By refusing to give my Abby the bite, she cursed her to death! No other alpha would even agree to meet with me after Talia turned us away!” He twists his wrist, and Derek spits up blood.</p><p>Boyd steps forward ready to intervene, but Stiles is already moving towards them. “Hey, asshole?” Deucalion looks over Derek’s shoulder at Stiles, face contorted in fury at having been interrupted. “I know what it’s like to lose someone while you stand by helplessly watching as they fade away. But at least I didn’t turn out like you!”</p><p>“How dare you,” Deucalion spits, turning more fully towards him. Derek is still clutched in his hands, feet off the ground. “You think you can beat me? You may have killed the others, but I am more than them. I am a god! No human boy can kill me.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m not going to kill you.” Deucalion frowns but a smile splits Stiles’ lips wide. “He is.”</p><p>There is no time between Stiles saying that and John pulling his trigger. While Stiles distracted Deucalion, he had moved around so that he was in a better position to take his shot without hitting Derek. </p><p>They don’t use wolfsbane bullets often. Hell, hardly anyone even has access to them. But John didn’t want to risk Deucalion recovering from a regular bullet. It was an unnecessary precaution though because the bullet hits its target perfectly, imbedding itself in Deucalion’s chest right where his heart is. Stiles is there the moment that he’s hit, wrapping his arm around Deucalion’s hand, the one still buried in Derek’s chest, and wrenching it out. Deucalion watches him with wide eyes, but makes no move to stop him. Stiles isn’t even sure that he’s actually seeing him.</p><p>As soon as Stiles gets the claws out of Derek’s chest, he moves to unfurl Deucalion’s fingers that are clasped tightly around Derek’s throat. It’s a harder task to manage, partially because Deucalion has begun to sink down, but finally Derek’s feet hit the ground. He crumples to the his knees though, the injuries too much for him to remain standing. Luckily, Boyd is there to catch him. And then all three betas are crowding around them. Over their heads, looking exhausted and maybe on the verge of passing out, Derek meets Stiles eyes. </p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>The two words are barely breaths, but Stiles hears them all the same. They make him smile.</p><p>—————</p><p>It takes a while to get everything cleaned up at the industrial station. Deucalion, Ennis and Kali were dead, but Parrish and Scott had managed to actually arrest the other two so they only have three bodies to take care of. Still, that is three bodies more than what they are used to dealing with. </p><p>As they waited for Derek to heal, it finally occurred to Allison that she had actually killed someone. Even though there’s a part of you that feels like you would be prepared to do just that in the time of need, and even though the training is there to prepare you, she’s still shaken apart by it. Thinking about having to kill someone and actually doing so are two very different things. </p><p>After giving her statement, Allison disappears in the back room with Lydia. Everyone else leaves them alone. </p><p>The moment that John finally gets to his office, ready to have a sit and think about what the hell just happened, Stiles appears in the doorway with a determined expression. </p><p>“Can I help you?” John asks, already knowing where this conversation is headed. He’s been preparing for it since they left the industrial section. Hell, even before that he was getting himself ready. </p><p>“We need to talk about Derek,” Stiles says, eyes bright. He folds himself carefully down into the chair opposite John. </p><p>John rubs at his face. Why does everything have to happen to him? Why couldn’t this have been an easy case? He should have taken that vacation when it was offered. </p><p>“Derek isn’t a bad person,” Stiles says when it’s clear that John isn’t going to start the conversation. “He’s had a hard life, and he’s hurt people. But he isn’t some unfeeling psychopath. Him and his pack have only ever done what they needed to survive. Turning him over to the FBI doesn’t feel like the right thing to do.”</p><p>“You know, I swear just earlier today I asked if he had charmed you. And you assured me that he wasn’t a witch and therefore could not. But, I think that you were lying kid. You were already ensnared by then, I think.”</p><p>Stiles snorts. “I wasn’t the one who let him out of his cell so that he could go and help his pack.”</p><p>John flushes at the implication. The thing is, Stiles isn’t wrong. As soon as he got the call about the alphas, John had marched down to the interrogation room, took Derek’s handcuffs completely off, and then drove him down to the industrial section himself. Ever since he brought him in to the station, something about having arrested him hadn’t felt right. He remembers Derek from before the fire. Seeing him sitting in a cell was, simply put, not something that John was okay with. He didn’t believe that Derek was capable of all of the crimes that the FBI was sure he committed. He never has.</p><p>“Well. What do you want me to do about it?”</p><p>Stiles takes a deep breath. He’s been thinking about it since they left the industrial part of town. “I think-.” He bites his lips. Thinking it and saying it aloud are two very different things. “I think we should let him go?” Shaking his head, he tries again. “We need to let him go.”</p><p>At the statement, John gives no indication of what he thinks of it. He simply folds his hands together and stares Stiles down. Stiles doesn’t squirm. Having grown up with John, he’s used to the stare down. He meets it with one of his own, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to back down.</p><p>“Stiles,” John sighs after a long minute. </p><p>“I know what it is I’m asking. I get it, trust me. But it’s the right thing to do. And you know that.”</p><p>Honestly, John doesn’t know a lot of things. He doesn’t know what he’s going to have for breakfast tomorrow, or when he’ll be ready for retire. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever get over the loss of his wife or if he’ll ever stop worrying about his son (he’s pretty sure that one is a no).</p><p>He does know what will happen if the FBI come and pick up Derek though. And he knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that it isn’t the right thing to do. </p><p>“Get everyone together. We need to have a meeting.”</p><p>Stiles hadn’t seen that one coming. “I-. Everyone?”</p><p>John is already getting to his feet. “Yes. This is something that we need to go over as a group. We all need to be in this together.”</p><p>Stiles rushes to follow John’s orders. He might not understand it, but if it gets Derek out of his cell then he’ll do whatever it takes. </p><p>When everyone is gathered together, John clears his throat. “Alright. I know that this had been a long day for everyone, and I hate to have to put this on all of you. But this is a decision we need to make together. As everyone knows, this morning Derek Hale was brought into the station. Now, the lawful thing to do would be to turn him over to the FBI. After all, they have several cases that they suspect Derek for.”</p><p>He sighs. “That being said, it’s come to our attention that Derek is not responsible for these crimes. While we know this to be true, there is no way that the FBI would believe it. So. In an effort to be as fair and just as I can about this, I want us to vote about what to do with him. The main thing is that we all need to agree on this decision. Our two options are to turn him over to the FBI, or let him go.”</p><p>No one seems to be surprised by this meeting or appalled by the suggestion that they break the law and let a known fugitive go. </p><p>Allison is, surprisingly, the first to step forward. “We should let him go.” Her voice is steady. “I was there when one of his betas told us about how he got on the FBI radar, and I can say without hesitation that Derek is not who the feds think that he is. He’s a little abrasive at times, but he cares about his pack more than anything else. The only time that he’s ever hurt anyone is when he was protecting them in self defense. Turning him over would be sentencing an innocent man to death and-.” She swallows. “I’ve had enough of that today, haven’t all of you?”</p><p>Lydia reaches out and takes her hand, squeezing it and offering her her strength. “I agree with Allison. Everyone here got into this line of work because they care about doing the right thing. Well, turning Derek in is not that. We should let him go.”</p><p>John nods. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Everyone who thinks that we should follow the law and turn Derek in, raise your hand.” No one moves, and Stiles’ heart swells with how proud he is of all of them. “Good, good. Now, everyone who wants to let him go?” Everyone stretches one hand in the air. “Excellent. And there are no objections to this?” When no one speaks, John nods. “Well, then we need to figure out what our story is going to be, don’t we?”</p><p>While the people in the office offer suggestions as to what to say to the FBI, coming up with more elaborate and ridiculous ideas as time goes on, Stiles sneaks back to the room where Derek is with his pack. Stepping inside, it’s clear by the miserable expressions on all of their faces that they didn’t hear any of the meeting. They look like Stiles is there to force them to say goodbye. </p><p>“Is it time?” Derek asks, meeting Stiles’ eyes over the tops of his three betas heads. They’re all curled up on the ground, drawing strength from their alpha. There is still blood smeared on Isaac’s face, and Erica’s shirt is torn in several places, but they haven’t left Derek’s side since the battle ended.</p><p>“It’s time,” Stiles says, hiding a smile. As best he can with three grown adults clinging to him and with his hands back in cuffs, Derek gets to his feet. Reluctantly, everyone lets go of him. </p><p>“It will be okay, guys,” Derek says, swallowing round the lump in his throat. He looks back at Stiles. “Can I-.” He exhales slowly. “Before I go, can you please let me to give Boyd the alpha spark?” Boyd makes a noise of complaint, but Derek just shakes his head and looks back at them. “You need an alpha that is going to be able to protect the pack. I can’t do that anymore. So, the best thing that I can do for each of you is to let you go.”</p><p>“Okay, Mr. Melodrama, calm down.” Finally, Stiles smiles. “Who said anything about splitting the pack up?” Derek blinks at him. “Give me your hands.”</p><p>Cautiously, Derek reaches out and places his hands in Stiles’. Grinning from ear to ear, Stiles unlocks the cuffs, tucking them into his pocket. “Okay, Mr. Hale. You’re free to go.”</p><p>Everyone in the room looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>“I’m trying to tell you that you can leave now.” He rolls his eyes when no one moves. “Listen. The FBI can’t arrest you if you’re not here for them to arrest. So. You’re free to go.”</p><p>“The sheriff is going to-.”</p><p>“Be glad to see you safe.” Stiles’ expression softens. “It may sound crazy, but we all just took a vote to see what we should do with you. And the vote was unanimous. No one here wants to see you arrested. It may not make any sense to you. I know that you haven’t really had anyone on your side in a long time. But we all are. The people here in Beacon Hills still support you. And we’re letting you go.”</p><p>Erica reaches out and presses her hand to Derek’s shoulder. “Derek, let’s go. If he says we can, let’s go before he changes his mind.”</p><p>Stiles wants to tell them that he isn’t going to change his mind, but before he gets the chance the door opens and John steps inside looking exasperated. Erica and Isaac tense up at the sight of him. Boyd just watches him with calculating eyes, </p><p>“Stiles, are you kidding me? You couldn’t wait for me to come and let them know?” He narrows his eyes. “I understand that Derek’s gotten under your skin, but you could have at least waited for your boss.”</p><p>Stiles flushes crimson. “Dad! What the hell!”</p><p>Derek flushes too, a blush making the tips of his ears red. He coughs. “Um, Sheriff?”</p><p>John rolls his eyes. “I’m glad to see you without the handcuffs on, Son. It was kind of ridiculous that they put them back on you in the first place. Now, would you like to discuss our next steps in my office or in here?”</p><p>“Stiles says that you’re letting me go.” His voice is small. “Why?”</p><p>A gentle light sparks in John’s eyes. “Because it’s the right thing to do. You aren’t who the FBI makes you out to be, and everyone out there knows that. The true crime would be locking you up. You and your pack deserve the right to live.” He opens the door. “Come on, let’s go to one of the offices. The chairs are a lot softer there and everyone will fit.”</p><p>Wordlessly, everyone shuffles out of the room and follows John down the hall. When Scott sees them, he jogs over with a jaunty wave and falls in step with Stiles, who is glad to have him there.</p><p>“Okay, now that we’re more comfortable,” John says as everyone settles in. “I would like to ask what your plans for freedom are.”</p><p>Shuffling uncomfortably, Derek shrugs. “I haven’t had time to think about it. I-. I didn’t expect to be let go.”</p><p>That makes John smile. “Then, perhaps I can make a suggestion? Feel free to turn the offer down, there really is no pressure but-. What would you say about staying here?” Derek freezes, and John explains. “It’s just that, this land belonged to your family for years. It needs a protector again. And, I know for a fact, that everyone here would be happy to have you. Beacon Hills is a family. We protect our own, regardless of the circumstances.”</p><p>“You would let me come back home?” Derek asks softly. Stiles has a sudden urge to punch everyone who ever made Derek feel like he had to run away from Beacon Hills. After the fire, after Derek lost everything, he needed to get away. But for him to feel like he <i>couldn’t</i> come back. Well, it pisses Stiles off knowing that it was other people that kept him away from the place he still considers home. </p><p>“Of course,” John answers like it’s easy. Because, in all reality, it is. “We would be happy to have you.”</p><p>Stiles doesn’t have to be a werewolf to know that John isn’t lying. </p><p>“We could actually have a home again?” Isaac asks, sounding so hopeful it breaks Stiles’ heart all over again. Erica reaches out and takes his hand, and Boyd clasps his shoulder tightly. Stiles knows that they’ll do whatever Derek decides, but it’s clear that they want to stay. It’s like Derek said before; they’re tired of running. </p><p>Several minutes pass before Derek says anything. When he finally does, his eyes are bright. “I want to stay. I want Beacon Hills to be our home again. I-. You said that this land needs a protector, and you’re right. I want to be that alpha, just like was mother was before me and her mother before her. I want to keep my family legacy alive and make them proud.”</p><p>It’s quite a declaration. As he says the words, the air in the room seems to shift. Stiles knows that words have power. He’s seen magic firsthand. This is different though. It’s like the atmosphere itself is realigning around Derek.</p><p>Above them, the lightbulb bursts. Outside, confused yells indicate that several other lights have been blown out around the precinct. </p><p>No one says anything for a moment. Then John sighs. “Stiles. What the hell was that?”</p><p>Stiles startles. “What do you mean? <i>I</i> didn’t do that!”</p><p>That makes Scott snort. “Um, dude, you smell like Deaton does after really heavy spell-work and your eyes are kind of glowing? You definitely did that.”</p><p>“I didn’t know that you were a Spark,” Derek says, sounding awed. Stiles can barely make out his form in the dark, but he narrows his eyes at him all the same. </p><p>“This is your fault,” he decides, crossing his arms in a pouting manor. “You made the air go all tingly. If I made the lights go out it’s because of you.”</p><p>John breaks into semi-hysterical laughter. “Stiles, none of us need to know that Derek made you feel tingly, alright.” He ignores it when Stiles squawks indignantly and nearly stumbles out of his chair. “The point is that you want to stay, and we want you to. Now the trouble is figuring out how to keep you safe when the feds show up to take the two alphas we caught away. The betas can get a room somewhere or something, but I don’t want you being seen while they’re around.”</p><p>John says all of this as though it is perfectly normal for them to continue their discussion while sitting in the dark. </p><p>“He should stay with one of us,” Scott offers. “No one will suspect that we’re harboring a fugitive. Then, when the feds leave, he can get a place of his own.”</p><p>Before he’s even finished talking, John is already nodding. “That’s a good idea. Well, Derek? What do you say? Want to stay with Stiles for a week or so until everything is clear?”</p><p>That makes Stiles squawk again. “Why does it have to be me? I mean, no offense to you Derek, but we do have other people who would be happy to have him stay.”</p><p>“Scott’s dad will most likely be one of the people they send out to canvas the area, so his house is out. Allison and Lydia have a big apartment, but I doubt that they would want to share with Derek and I’m sure that Derek doesn’t want to stay with them anyway. And I’m the sheriff. So, your house seems like the best option.”</p><p>“I’ll find somewhere else if you don’t want me there,” Derek says gently. “I’ve been on the run long enough I could handle another week hiding.”</p><p>Stiles flaps his arms in Derek’s direction, accidentally hitting Scott upside the head. “No! I want you to come home with me! I mean, it would be nice if you stayed in my bed. No, what I meant was-!” He clamps his mouth shut and rubs his face before trying again. “I would be happy to have you there.”</p><p>Now everyone in the room is laughing at him. Hell, Erica sounds like Christmas just came early and her present is watching Stiles dig himself a grave. Even Derek chuckles. </p><p>“Then it’s settled,” John says, clapping his hands together triumphantly. “Who wants to help me change this light?”</p><p>As he says that someone knocks at the door, pushing it open after John gives the okay. Tara smiles in at them, face lit by an impressively bright flashlight. “If you guys are done talking in the dark, would you like a light?”</p><p>“How did you,” John stutters. Stiles hopes he likes how it feels being on the other side. “I-. Thanks, Tara, that would be great.”</p><p>—————</p><p>Stiles feels like his body is a live wire. All around him, the world seems so much brighter than it did before. Derek keeps shooting him worried glances from the passenger seat as they make the drive to Stiles’ apartment, but he doesn’t ask to be dropped off somewhere else so Stiles guesses he doesn’t mind that much. </p><p>It’s just the two of them on their way to Stiles’ place. As soon as their meeting ended, Lydia marched up to Erica and practically demanded that she come and stay at the apartment with her and Allison. Erica had agreed but asked if Boyd could come too, because apparently wherever she went so did he. Lydia had actually said yes, and Boyd didn’t seemed bothered at the prospect of being the only man in a house full of women, so that took care of two of the betas. Scott offered to let Isaac stay at his house, considering he had an extra bedroom so Isaac could have his own space. Stiles had thought that Isaac was going to turn down the offer, but he agreed. </p><p>So, instead of having four strangers staying over, Stiles only has Derek. He would like to say that he’s nervous about it because Derek was technically a murder suspect only hours ago, but he knows better. Even though it’s only been a day, and even though it really makes no sense considering the circumstances of the way that they met, Stiles likes Derek. He thinks that he’s funny, and is looking forward to learning more about him. It’s just nerve wracking. </p><p>Not to mention, he still feels off balance about what happened earlier with the lights. Even though he’s known about his Spark for years, he was content with the fact that it was weak enough that he probably could never perform complicated. Deaton told him outright that it probably wouldn’t amount to much, and Stiles was okay with that. But now? It feels like he downed four Redbulls and tried to stay up for three days without sleeping. </p><p>“Welcome to my humble abode,” Stiles says with a flourish as he leads Derek to his apartment. It’s not much, but he has a nice little balcony that feels like a bit of a luxury. Derek doesn’t say anything as the walk up the stairs, which is something that Stiles has come to accept about him; he doesn’t talk a lot. That’s fine though. Stiles talks enough for the both of them.</p><p>“Tada,” he exclaims, throwing his door open. Derek steps inside the apartment, looking around curiously, and Stiles is glad that he had spent the weekend before cleaning everything up.</p><p>He closes the door and toes off his shoes, turning around to find that Derek is a lot closer to him. “You should lay down,” he says, herding Stiles into the living room. Stiles stumbles as he goes, confused about what exactly is happening.</p><p>“What? Why?” Instead of answering, Derek tries to tug him to the ground. Stiles resists. “Why?”</p><p>“You need to defuse your magic,” he growls, as though that explains everything. “Right now you feel off balance because you have to much of it running through your system. Returning some of it to the earth will help, trust me. How could you not know this?”</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s not like I’m used to having so much magical energy. This is your fault, remember? You did this.”</p><p>Derek rolls his eyes. “I didn’t do anything. Lay down.”</p><p>“Geez, is this what it’s going to be like living with you, Mr. Criminal Mastermind?” Even while he snarks at him, Stiles sit himself down on the ground and rolls onto his back.</p><p>That makes Derek snap his teeth. Stiles’ pulse races at the sight. “Yes. And don’t call me that. Now shut up and close your eyes.”</p><p>Stiles does what he says, but the current running through him feels as electric as ever. “Derek, this isn’t working. I don’t know what I’m doing.”</p><p>When he speaks, Stiles is startled to find that Derek has taken a seat beside him on the floor. “Imagine that the magic inside you is a bright white light. Visualize it.” It takes a few breathes before Stiles can really picture it. As though he can tell that Stiles is ready for the next step, Derek says, “Good. Now, focus that light in your palms. When it gets there, press your hands against the ground and let the light sink into the floor beneath you.”</p><p>Even though he’s never done it before, releasing the magic into the ground is easy. As soon as he focuses on it, manipulating it is second nature. And Derek is right. He feels a lot more stable afterwards. He can still feel his Spark, but its presence is a soft warmth now versus a lightning storm. </p><p>“Thank you,” Stiles breathes, opens his eyes. “That’s a lot better.”</p><p>Derek’s smile is small and pleased. “You’re welcome.”</p><p>Stiles stretches out and then gets to his feet. “Come on. I’ll show you to the spare bedroom. And then you can shower. I’ll even let you go first because I’m a good host like that and you’re still kind of bloody.” Derek snorts. Stiles ignores him. “Unfortunately you’ll have to borrow some of my clothes tonight. The stuff from your campsite was brought to the station, but a lot of the clothing was torn or had blood on it. We can go through it another day, and tomorrow we’ll order you some new stuff online so you can pick out stuff you like. But for tonight, you’re stuck with my clothes.”</p><p>A soft touch against his lower back makes Stiles stop and look at Derek over his shoulder. His eyes are open and unguarded in an astonishing way. “Thank you. I-.” He swallows and it’s a harsh sound. “I’m not used to people caring about me. And yet you’ve let me into your home in spite of the fact that I’m still a stranger and even knowing that several hours ago I was arrested for a murder you were sure I committed. You trusted me and saved my pack and then you gave me a place to stay. Thank you.”</p><p>In his chest, his heart swells. It’s a different feeling from the conference room, when gravity seemed to shift around a new Derek-shaped axis. But it fills him with warmth all the same.</p><p>When Stiles smiles at him, Derek offers a shy smile back. He can’t help it; he’s glad that Allison hit Derek with her car and brought him into the station. He’s glad that his dad trusted him to talk to Derek to get him to open up. And he’s so freaking glad that Derek talked to him and agreed to stay.</p><p>“Anytime, Derek.” The words taste like the truth and he means them with every fiber of his being. “Anytime.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was written for Sterek Week 2020 Day One for the 'Scene Stealer' theme.</p><p>PS: For those wondering what happened to Jane, the Alpha pack killed her. Their plan was to keep killing people in Beacon Hills until Derek felt responsible enough to come back and face them.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>